Coffin-lid fastener



V UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE. I

LYMAN E. WOOD'ARD, or owosso, MICHIGAN.

COFFlN-LID FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,060, dated August 27, 1889.

Application filed June 15, 1889.

,To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LYMAN E. WOODARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Owosso, in the countyol' Shiawassee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coffin-Lid Fasteners; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon. ,r"

Figure 1 of the drawings is a longitudinal section of a coffin or casket, showing my improved fastening for the lid thereof; Fig. 2, a transverse section taken on line 00 a: of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detail view in perspective and on an enlarged scale of one of the fasteners;

Fig. 4, a detail view in perspective of the spring-fastening device for the foot of the casket.

The present invention has forits object to provide a simple and eifective device for fastening the lid of a coffin or a casket, and which can be easily operated, both to open or close the casket; and the invention consists in the details of construction, substantially as shown in the drawings, and hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a casket of any of the usual forms and provided with the lid B, a, designating the head, and b the foot of the casket.

The lid is secured in place by my improved devices, which I will now describe, the same consisting of the keeper 0, which is a metal plate secured over a mortise d in the side or end of the casket, and O the spring-latch, having teeth 6 to engage with the edge of the keeper 0. This latchds composed of a flat strip of spring metal and is bent to form the arms f g, the latter,which has the teeth thereon, terminating at its upper end in a right-angle bend it to pass over the side of the casket, and is thence bent downward to form a thumbpiece 1', by which the arm 9 may be pressed in a direction toward the arm f to disengage the teeth c with the keeper 0, and thus admit of the casket-lid being raised. It will be noticed that the teeth 6 are at right angles to the plane of the arm g, so that when said arm is compressed the teeth will be disengaged Serial No. 314,359. (No model.)

from the keeper 0. The right-angle bendh is located in arecess it, formed on the under side of the casket-lid B, this recess acting as a guide therefor, and also prevents any lateral strain on the latch, and the upper end of the latch-arm f has a plate Z for fastening the latch to the under side of the casket-lid by screws or other well-known means, the latch, with the fastening-plate, right-angle bend, and thumb-piece, being preferably made from a single piece of metal, the blank when cut the proper shape being bent to the desired shape.

I have shown three of these fastening devices-via, one upon each side, and one upon the end 5 but one or more may be used as found desirable.

The foot of the lid B is fastened to the casket by the spring-catch D, which consists of a bow-spring having one end fastened to the under side of the casket-lid, and the free end thereof entering a recess in the foot I) at its upper end, as shown at m. This spring-catch has a fastening-plate a, by which it is secured by screws or other means to the under side of the casket-lid, said plate ext-ending at right angles to the length of the catch, and thefree end of the catch having a curved extremity, as shown at 0, so that it will be brought. in frictional contact with the upper and lower walls of the recess m, and prevent thelid from rattling when secured in place.

' The spring-catch above described acts in conjunction with the spring-latches at the head of the casket to form a secure fastening for the lid at both the head and foot of said casket, and admits, when the latches are re leased from their keepers, of the head of the lid being raised without unfastening the foot thereof, but when it is desired to remove the lid, after the latches have been released from the keepers, the lid, by sliding ittoward the 1. In combination with a spring-fastening device for securing the lid to a casket or coffin at the head thereof, of the bow-spring catch D, secured to the under side of the casket or coffin lid, and having its free end curved downwardly, as shown at 0, whereby itwill be brought in frictional contact with the upper and lower Walls of the recess m, and thereby prevent the lid from rattling when secured in place, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a fastening for casket or coffin lids, the keeper 0, spring-latch 0, consisting of the arms fg, the latter having teeth 6- extending at right angles to the plane thereof, in combination with the b0\ spring catch D, secured to the under side of the-casket or coffin lid, and having its free end curved downwardly, as shown at 0, whereby it will be brought in frictional contact with the upper and lower Walls of the recess m to prevent the lid from rattling, substantially as and for the purpose described. i

3. In a fastening for casket or coffin lids, the combination, with the keeper 0, of the spring-latch C, consisting of the arms f g, the latter having teeth 6 extending at right angles to the plane of said arm, the right-angle bend it, thumb-piece t', and the fastening-plate Z, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed mynamein the presence of two witnesses.

LYMAN E. XVOQDARD. lVi tnesses:

GEORGE R. PARIS, WARREN XVOODWARD. 

